


That Which Lurks Within the Depths

by EmeraldTrash666



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldTrash666/pseuds/EmeraldTrash666
Summary: The year is 1996. Duel Monsters, the hottest trading card game on the market, is exploding with popularity like never before. Booster packs are flying off the shelves in every country, players are climbing the ranks, new technology is being developed, and the creator of the game, Maximillion J. Pegasus, is hosting an unprecedented championship tournament for elite players from across the world. Yet Pegasus has committed an unbelievable political faux pas: He failed to invite Atem, the prince and champion duelist of the undersea kingdom of Kemet.Never one to take such insults sitting down, the prince naturally decides to simply attend anyway, invitation or no invitation. But was his exclusion truly just a matter of discrimination or obliviousness, or is it something far more sinister? One way or another, Prince Atem- Along with his new friends- Seems to be in for far more than he bargained for.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mermay! This is very loosely inspired by a dream I had a few weeks ago involving Atem, merpeople, an international go tournament, a Korean prince, a plane crash, and an indoor treehouse. Only about two and a half of those things actually made it into the fic, but hey!  
> I hope you all will enjoy this.

In the waters just off the outskirts of the city of Tanis, a ship plowed steadily towards its destination.

In the waters beneath the ship, a figure swam alongside it.

The hum of the ship’s motor camouflaged the telltale  _ screech, screech _ of metal on metal, as Atem dragged his knife along the surface of the ship’s hull, forming a rough and jagged approximation of his name. Vandalizing boats was a bad habit, he knew, yet he’d always had a little bit of a rebellious streak; It seemed a harmless enough form of delinquency, anyway. It wasn’t like he was actually cutting deep enough to damage the ship- The things weren’t exactly made of tinfoil, after all- And, hey, maybe it’d be a fun surprise for any humans who found themselves staring at the bottom of a boat for whatever reason.

As Atem finished his crime off with a lopsided cartouche, grinning deviously to himself, a flash of movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up, tail flicking in idle curiousity. He soon spotted something small, flat, and rectangular floating through the water; Atem’s eyes widened in instant recognition at the sight of the familiar brown swirl and gold border, and he snatched up the card eagerly.

“‘Left Arm of the Forbidden One’..?” Atem read the card out loud. “Huh…”

As he examined the card, another one soon appeared, and another not far behind it. Atem gasped in excitement.

Free trading cards!  _ Score! _ Atem couldn’t hold back a wide grin as he examined the cards, looking over each one. After all, it wasn’t every day that rare cards simply fell from the-

...Wait. Why  _ were  _ rare cards falling from the sky, anyway? That… Seemed odd, he realized. They all seemed to go together, and- Oh, that’s right, he was next to a rather large ship…

Gathering together the cards, Atem headed for the surface.

* * *

_ “Say goodbye to Exodia!” _

Haga’s laughter echoed through Yuugi’s ears, seemingly blending together with the rush of the water as Yuugi watched, slack-jawed, as the cards disappeared beneath the surface. Without a moment’s thought nor hesitation, he leaned over the banister, taking a step up onto the lower rail-

“Yuugi! What do you think you’re doing?!” Jounouchi gasped, as he grabbed Yuugi just in time to stop him from jumping.

“Those are my grandpa’s cards!” Yuugi exclaimed in distress, struggling against Jounouchi’s grip. “I have to get them back!”

“Forget it, man! They’re not worth your  _ life!” _ Jounouchi insisted.

“But I-!”

_ “Heeey!” _

Both Yuugi, Jounouchi, and even Haga paused, confused looks crossing their faces at what seemed to be the sound of another voice- But not one coming from behind them. Curious, they peered over the rail once more; Sure enough, a distant head and shoulders poked out of the water beneath them.

“Hey! Boat guys!” the stranger shouted over the boat, waving a handful of cards high above his head. “Did you drop these?!”

“Mind your own business, fish boy!” Haga snapped, though he found himself ignored.

“My cards!” Yuugi gasped.

The stranger waved once again, and nodded towards them. “Here, let me up!”

Jounouchi was the first to find the rope ladder, ignoring Haga’s angry protests. The stranger swam closer to the boat, grabbing onto the ladder as it hit the water; Yuugi caught a glimpse of a glimmering tail, shining in shades of purple and red with flecks of gold where the moonlight hit it just right, before said tail was quickly replaced by a pair of feet that mounted onto the ladder. The figure climbed up the ladder with youthful agility, splattering water onto the deck as he casually hopped the rail.

“Here,” the newcomer said, holding the cards out to Yuugi. “You should be more careful with your cards. These are pretty valuable, you know?”

“I know! I didn’t drop them!” Yuugi insisted as he took the cards, holding them close to his chest.  _ “He _ took them and threw them overboard.”

Haga huffed. “Yeah, and I would have gotten away with it too, if this freak hadn’t been so nosy!”

The boy raised an eyebrow, cocking his head ever so slightly and glancing at Haga with a dark look. “Oh yeah? Is that so?”

Haga suddenly blushed, shrinking in on himself slightly. “Yeah, well… well… Oh, it doesn’t matter anyway! I’ll still win!” he declared, and turned on his heel, grumbling to himself as he stomped away.

With Haga gone, Yuugi turned his attention towards the newcomer, taking in his appearance.

The boy was surprisingly short- Seemingly around Yuugi’s height, give or take a few centimeters- With bronze skin, and angular eyes the color of blood. Wild, wavy hair not unlike Yuugi’s own dripped a steady stream of sea water onto the floor. Rather than the fleshy outer ears of a human, the boy’s ears were crowned by purple-hued fins, and a pair of gills flanked his round face just behind his jaw. He was shirtless, with a short, pleated white skirt topped by a gold overskirt and a colorful belt; A number of pieces of flamboyant gold jewelry adorned his arms, neck, and head, and a boxy leather pouch and a knife sheath hung from his belt.

“There’s supposed to be five of these, right?” the boy realized, glancing at the cards in Yuugi’s hand. “I only saw three… I’m sorry. I can try to look for the other two if you want, but…”

Yuugi blinked, having gotten slightly distracted by all the jewelry. “Huh? Oh, uh- No, that’s ok. Thank you for saving my cards, don’t worry about the rest of them,” he told the boy. “Um, I’m Yuugi, by the way. And this is my friend Jounouchi.”

“Yo,” Jounouchi greeted him with a nonchalant wave.

The boy grinned, revealing a row of sharply pointed teeth, and bowed politely. “I’m Atem. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“You too. I haven’t met many merpeople,” Yuugi admitted. “What were you doing by the boat?”

Atem suddenly blushed, glancing away and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “O-Oh, you know, uh… Nothing much. I just- I’m kind of a night owl, so I like to go for swims late at night sometimes. I wasn’t doing anything in particular,” he muttered. “Anyway, uh- What about you? Where are you guys headed?”

“We’re actually going to a Duel Monsters tournament!”

“A Duel Monsters tournament?” Atem repeated, raising an eyebrow with interest.

“That’s why that little creep Haga threw Yuugi’s cards overboard!” Jounouchi exclaimed. “He knew he couldn’t beat Yugi’s deck, so he tried to sabotage him by destroying it!”

Yuugi nodded. “It’s a special tournament for high-level players. It’s invite-only-”

Jounouchi coughed and whistled innocently-

“-And the location is a secret even to the players,” Yuugi explained, shooting Jounouchi an awkward, sympathetic grimace. “The creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion J. Pegasus, is hosting it. Whoever wins the tournament will be crowned the ‘King of Games’.”

Atem paused, suddenly falling quiet as he took in this information.

“...Why wasn’t I invited?” he wondered after a moment, brow furrowed in confusion.

“You play Duel Monsters?” Jounouchi asked.

“I don’t just  _ play  _ Duel Monsters. Duel Monsters is my  _ life,” _ Atem replied dramatically. “It’s my heart and soul and everything I am. I’m the strongest duelist in Kemet. And yet, I wasn’t invited…” He scowled, clenching a fist at his side. “Why? Does this Pegasus person even  _ know _ the depth of the offense he’s committed?”

Jounouchi blinked, exchanging confused glances with Yuugi. “Uh, what..?”

Atem gave no response, staring silently out at the water with a purse-lipped frown.

Yuugi cleared his throat awkwardly. “W-Well, maybe your invitation just got lost in the mail, or-”

“Alright, I’ve made a decision,” Atem announced after a moment, interrupting Yuugi. “I’m coming along with you.”

Yuugi blinked. “Huh?”

“Y-You are?” Jounouchi stammered confusedly.

Atem gave a resolute nod. “Yes. I’d like to give Pegasus a piece of my mind- Also, I’d like to see you duel that Haga creep into the ground,” he admitted, a hint of a wistful smile briefly passing over his face at the thought. “So, I’ll be coming along to cheer you guys on. When does the tournament start?”

“Oh, ok, well- Sure! We’d be happy to have you along!” Yuugi decided, smiling cheerfully in spite of his initial confusion. “You did save my cards, after all. That means we’re friends now!”

“Yeah, the more the merrier, I guess,” Jounouchi added with a shrug. “They said we should get there by morning. Uh, wherever ‘there’ is.”

Atem grinned, once again revealing razor-like teeth- Though his expression was one of genuine friendliness and excitement. “Great! I look forward to watching some fun duels.”

Yuugi smiled back, and then glanced towards the cabin door. “Do you guys want to head inside? I’m getting kinda cold.”

Atem nodded. “Sure.”

“You know, the truth is… I wasn’t invited either,” Jounouchi half-whispered, leaning closer Atem as they walked towards the door. “Yuugi’s sharing his invitation with me.”

Atem raised an eyebrow curiously as the door creaked open. “Oh, really?”

“Mhm! A-Although I’m no champion like you, but… I gotta try my best anyway. You see, my sister…”

* * *

Despite the late hour, the common room was quite lively; Though a few people seemed to be trying to sleep, the room was still full of duelists trading and even having practice duels as Yuugi and the others entered. Yuugi and Jounouchi led Atem over to the corner where their friends had taken up camp, carefully stepping over a few backpacks and sleeping bags in the way.

“Hey guys!” Yuugi greeted them with a cheerful wave.

“Welcome back!”

Honda glanced at Atem, raising an eyebrow curiously. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Atem,” Yuugi replied, as Atem smiled awkwardly. “He saved my Exodia cards after Haga threw them overboard. ...Or, well, some of them, anyway. But that’s alright,” Yuugi muttered. “Anyway, Atem-kun- These are our friends Anzu, Honda-kun, and Bakura-kun.”

Atem waved. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you all.”

The others, however, exchanged surprised, confused glances, still processing what Yuugi had said.

“Wait, you mean…”

“Haga threw your cards into the  _ ocean?!”  _ Honda exclaimed.

“You made friends with the prince of  _ Kemet?!”  _ Anzu and Bakura blurted out simultaneously.

Jounouchi blinked in confusion. “Wait, what?”

“I- Hold on, the  _ what?” _ Yuugi repeated, raising both eyebrows in surprise. “Atem-kun, is that true? Are you really a prince?!”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah,” Atem replied with a casual shrug, as if this were no big deal. Oblivious- Or perhaps apathetic- To the shock and confusion on the others’ faces, he sat down on the floor, crossing his legs and observing the group with cheerful attention.

“You two seriously didn’t know that..?” Bakura questioned, glancing towards Yuugi and Atem.

Jounouchi raised an eyebrow. “Do I  _ look  _ like someone who keeps up with mermaid politics?” he replied, as Yuugi gave a sheepish grin.

“I’m not sure you’re even legally allowed to stand next to him,” Honda muttered sarcastically.

“Hey!”

As Honda laughed, Yuugi sat down next to Atem- Hesitating for a moment, as if not sure if he was supposed to or not. “Gosh, I had no idea you were a  _ prince…” _

Anzu sighed. “A mer-prince… That’s so dreamy,” she muttered, a wistful look on her face.

Atem raised an eyebrow, frowning in distaste. “‘Dreamy’..?”

“I’d prefer a vampire prince,” Bakura commented idly.

“Look, let’s not-” Yuugi paused, sighing and running a hand down his face, exasperated by his friends. “Um, anyway… U-Um, I’ve never, uh, met royalty before, so… I’m sorry if I don’t really, um, know the proper etiquette- Um, Your Majesty, sir,” he told Atem nervously.

Atem laughed. “Aw, don’t worry about that stuff,” he told him with a dismissive hand-wave. “I’m not exactly Marie Antoinette, you know. Anyway, want to duel?”

“Oh, um… If it’s all the same to you, I was actually going to work on my deck,” Yuugi admitted. “I need to restructure it, now that Exodia’s out.”

“Oh, right! Of course. Mind if watch?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

As Yuugi took out his cards, the others seemed to mostly keep their eyes on Atem, with expressions ranging from idly curious to stunned. Atem himself simply watched, intrigued, as Yuugi began sorting out his cards; A few drops of water dripped from Atem’s hair onto the cards, and Yuugi wiped them away without much thought.

“Is dueling any different in Kemet?” Bakura wondered, as Yuugi examined his cards.

Atem shook his head. “Not really. Duel Monsters cards are waterproof, after all. We play by the same rules as anyone else,” he explained. “I’ve actually been to a few tournaments up top, and the only real difference I noticed was the physics- Hey, it looks like our decks are pretty similar,” he realized, glancing at Yuugi’s cards in surprise.

“Woah, really?”

“Yeah! I don’t see many other people running Dark Magician, to be honest,” Atem replied. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you… Where’d you get that necklace?” he wondered.

“Oh, this?”

Yuugi paused for a moment, glancing down at the Millennium Puzzle at his chest. As his fingers traced the cracks between the pieces, feeling the smooth metal, he recalled all the strange events that had taken place over the past few months. Powerful, mysterious new abilities; Dangerous enemies with motives he didn’t understand. New friends, a new outlook on life, and new strength, yet frankly it sometimes that strength seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

Still, whether boon or burden, the Puzzle was what it was.

“It’s called the Millennium Puzzle,” he told Atem. “It’s a family heirloom. It took me eight years to solve it. I’m not sure where it came from originally, but it’s been in the family for ages, and my grandpa claims it’s three thousand years old.”

“I can tell you exactly where it came from,” Atem announced.

Yuugi’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, what?”

“You know about the Millennium Puzzle, Your Highness?” Anzu gasped.

Atem nodded. “Sure do. It’s one of seven magic relics known as the Millennium Items, created during Kemet’s third intermediate period,” he answered. “Most of the Items are kept at the palace, but the Millennium Puzzle is special; It was actually created to be a gift to humans, as a token of peace and friendship. Each piece originally represented a different human nation, except for the one on the front- That kind of eye symbol is traditional in Kemetic culture, so that piece represents Kemet. The whole thing is supposed to be symbolic of how we’re all economically interconnected, and uh, world peace or something I guess,” he explained. “Obviously this whole thing happened in ancient times, so we kinda lost track of what happened to it, but I never would have guessed I’d see the real thing… Small world, I guess,” he mused, tilting his head thoughtfully and glancing at the Puzzle.

_ “That _ thing is supposed to be a symbol of world peace?” Honda questioned, frowning and raising an eyebrow in disbelief. 

“Yeah, why?”

“It put a guy in a  _ coma!” _ Jounouchi blurted out. “I mean, like, he totally deserved it, but still.”

Atem blinked. “Huh. That’s… um… ...Well, uh… C’est la vie, am I right, guys?” he said with an awkward shrug.

“Hmm… I think I understand it,” Yuugi said quietly, glancing down and cradling the Millennium Puzzle with a contemplative look. “The punishment games reflect people’s wrongdoings back on them, so they can learn to do better. It’s not the Puzzle’s fault that apparently nobody in Domino has any morals.”

“Fair point, I guess,” Honda conceded.

“Still…” Yuugi sighed. “It does feel like weird stuff just keeps happening ever since I solved the Puzzle. Like this whole mess,” he muttered.

Atem gave Yuugi a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“Pegasus more or less forced me to participate in the tournament!” Yuugi explained. “He sent me this weird video tape of himself, right? And of course it’s pre-recorded, there’s no way it couldn’t have been, but the recording asked me to duel and somehow he  _ knew  _ all my moves! And I lost- Well, sort of-” Yuugi frowned, recalling the situation with the time limit. “Anyway, I don’t know how, but he stole my grandpa’s soul and trapped him in a video tape!”

The others could practically see the gears struggling to turn in Atem’s head as he frowned, brow furrowed further than seemed possible, tilting his head this way and that as he tried to comprehend anything Yuugi had just said.

“...I… What? Huh..?” Atem whispered in confusion.

Yuugi’s frantic energy, however, did not slow down for Atem. “Here, I’ll show you!” he declared, reaching into his bag. “Look!”

Atem watched, dumbfounded, as Yuugi pulled out what appeared to be a small camcorder; On its playback screen, a video showed an old man suddenly jerking awake, as if he’d nodded off by mistake.

_ “Hnh? Yu… Yuugi?”  _ the old man paused, yawning and rubbing at his eyes.  _ “Is it morning already..?” _

Yuugi gasped. “Oh! I’m sorry, Grandpa, I didn’t realize you were sleeping!”

_ “Ah, that’s alright.” _

Atem jumped as he heard the tape’s audio. “W-Wait, he can really hear us?!” he exclaimed in surprise.

“I had the same reaction at first, too,” Bakura laughed.

Yuugi nodded, and then turned his attention back towards the camcorder. “Grandpa, I’d like you to meet my new friend.”

Grandpa laughed, a cheerful, friendly laugh.  _ “Making friends with your opponents already, are you? Nothing less than I would expect from- ...Hold on, th-that’s- The prince of Kemet?!”  _ he blurted out in shock, as his gaze fell upon Atem.

“Um, hello… It’s nice to meet you,” Atem said with a sheepish smile and an awkward wave, still slightly dazed.

_ “Y-Yes… er… It’s- It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness,”  _ Grandpa stammered, bowing so deeply his head disappeared out of frame.

“Grandpa… Insector Haga threw your Exodia cards into the ocean,” Yuugi told Grandpa apologetically. “Prince Atem found them and was kind enough to give them back, but he only found three of them… I’m sorry.”

For a moment, Grandpa’s face fell, a heartbroken look in his eyes- But only for a moment, before he smiled again.  _ “Well, never you mind, my boy. It’s about time I make a new deck anyway,”  _ he decided.  _ “So don’t worry about it one bit! You kids have more important things to think about. You need to get ready for that tournament tomorrow!” _

Yuugi nodded. “Right.”

_ “And on that note…”  _ Grandpa yawned.  _ “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’m going to go back to sleep.” _

“Oh, sure! Goodnight, Grandpa, sleep well,” Yuugi replied with a smile.

“G’night, Gramps!” Jounouchi shouted from behind him.

Grandpa laughed, waving at the sound of Jounouchi’s voice.  _ “Goodnight, everyone. Don’t stay up too late.” _

With that, Yuugi carefully placed the camcorder back in his bag. Sighing, he turned his attention back towards the group- As well as the cards in front of him.

“Alright, let’s see about this deck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that chapter was much shorter than my usual fic chapters, but it's something of a teaser chapter; Things from here on out will be a bit longer. I also promise this isn't just Duelist Kingdom with a few extra lines- It might take a bit before the plot kicks in, but I definitely have some twists in store for everybody!  
> As always, feel free to comment on what you liked, didn't like, would like to see in future chapters, if you have any questions, etc.


	2. Chapter 2

The beginning of the tournament had gone, all things considered, about as well as a largely unregulated free-for-all between unsupervised gamers released into the wild could have gone. Yuugi made fairly quick work of Haga, to Atem’s delight; Jounouchi managed to take down the ruthless Mai Kujaku, surprising even himself by seeing (or rather, smelling, as it were) through her perfume cheating trick. With a total of five star chips between the two of them, things were looking quite good for Yuugi and Jounouchi, as well as their friends.

That is, until lunch time rolled around.

“I can’t believe we seriously ate _all_ the snacks on the way here,” Honda groaned, dragging his feet as the group continued, rather lethargically, through the forest.

“I can’t believe Bakura-kun alone ate, like, half of them,” Yuugi commented, glancing at Bakura with an expression somewhere between horror and awe. (Bakura gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck apologetically.)

“Well _I_ can’t believe the guy running this tournament isn’t feeding us,” Anzu added in a huff. “Seriously, Americans are so stingy…”

The group paused, seemingly all silently agreeing it was time to figure out lunch. 

“...It’s not _that_ big a deal, is it?” Atem wondered. “I mean, we’re in a forest. There has to be _something_ edible here, right? Like, leaves, or… I dunno, birds or something?”

Anzu raised an eyebrow. “How do you expect to catch a _bird?”_

“With your hands..?”

“I did bring a survival book,” Honda realized, electing to ignore Atem’s baffling comment as he pulled out the book in question. “It should tell us what plants and mushrooms around here are safe to eat.”

“Ew! I don’t wanna eat mushrooms!” Jounouchi exclaimed, shaking his head rapidly.

“Well do you have a _better_ idea?”

“No, but-” Jounouchi suddenly paused mid-sentence; His head snapped up and to the side, eyes wide. “Do you guys smell that?”

The others frowned in confusion, unsure what he was referring to.

“Smell what..?” Anzu wondered.

Atem sniffed the air as well, and tilted his head thoughtfully. “Smells kinda like sea bass..?”

Jounouchi didn’t respond, already rushing off in search of the source. “Come on, guys! It’s coming from the shore!” he called out as he ran.

The others exchanged glances before reluctantly following after him.

“Geez, there he goes again… His sense of smell is like a dog,” Honda muttered. “I still don’t know how he was able to tell apart Mai Kujaku’s perfumes…”

“Come to think of it, how come you were able to recognize the smell of sea bass?” Yuugi wondered, turning towards Atem. “I still don’t smell anything at all, to be honest.”

Atem shrugged. “Merpeople generally have a much stronger sense of smell than humans do. Jounouchi being an exception, I guess,” he added, raising an eyebrow at Jounouchi.

Still following just behind Jounouchi, the group emerged from the woods at a rocky coast- Where, sure enough, several fish roasted over an unattended bonfire.

“See?! I told you I smelled food!” Jounouchi declared proudly.

“He’s… He’s right,” Anzu realized in bafflement. “I’m not sure if I should be impressed, or- Hey, wait! Jounouchi! What are you doing?!” she exclaimed, eyes widening as Jounouchi ran towards the fire.

“It’s lunch time! Come on, guys!”

“Hell yeah!” Honda cheered, running after Jounouchi.

Yuugi sighed, frowning worriedly and shaking his head in disappointment. “Oh, boy…”

As Jounouchi and Honda eagerly sat down to eat, the others followed after them- Anzu in a hurry, Yuugi resigned to his fate, Atem indifferent, and Bakura… Surprisingly conflicted. (His stomach growled loudly as he frowned in concern.)

“Guys! Those aren’t yours!” Anzu shouted. “You can’t just take someone else’s fish!”

“Too bad! Nobody’s here, so they’re ours now!”

“Finders keepers, losers weepers!”

As Jounouchi and Honda blatantly ignored Anzu’s protests, something caught Yuugi’s attention out of the corner of his eye; There, on the rocks, was the unmistakable face of another merperson, with messy black hair and a scar on his cheek. And he didn’t look happy.

Yuugi blinked. “Um, guys-”

 _“Hey!”_ the mysterious newcomer shouted, startling Jounouchi and Honda out of their seats. “What do you-”

The group watched with a mixture of concern and pity as a sudden wave crashed against the rocks, causing the stranger to lose his grip and fall backwards. He pulled himself back up a moment later, cast an irritated glance back at the water, and stood up.

(He seemed different from Atem, Yuugi noticed; While Atem retained many distinctly aquatic features, even while in his terrestrial form, this strange newcomer didn’t. Gills and finned ears vanished along with his tail, leaving him looking no different from a human- Albeit dripping wet.)

“What do you think you’re doing?!” the stranger demanded as he stomped towards the campfire. “You bastards, don’t just go eating other people’s-”

His words died in his throat as his gaze fell upon Atem, eyes going wide.

“P-Prince Atem,” he stammered, bowing deeply. “Please forgive me, Your Highness, I- I didn’t realize you would be-”

“Don’t. Move.”

The whole group fell instantly silent at Atem’s commanding tone, freezing in place; The stranger took a nervous breath. “I’m- I’m sorry..?”

Atem said nothing, standing in front of the stranger with a tense stance and hands raised. Without a word, his hands suddenly shot out towards the man’s head and back again; The others watched in shock as Atem grasped a small octopus, and then, with one swift motion, drew his knife and stabbed it between the eyes.

 _“Behold!”_ he called out dramatically as he held up his prize, and then smiled. “Lunch! ...Oh, you can stand up now, by the way,” he added as an afterthought, glancing towards the still-bowed man.

“...What just happened..?” Anzu muttered in disbelief, a sentiment seemingly shared by the group.

The stranger sighed in relief, standing up straight again. “Was that on my head?” he questioned, frowning at the now-dead octopus.

Atem nodded. “Mhmm.” Once again wielding his knife with practiced dexterity, he sliced off a tentacle, and held it out to the newcomer. “Want some?”

“Uh…” 

Bewildered, the man quietly accepted Atem’s offering, not sure what else to do. 

“...Um, anyway…” He cleared his throat. “My name is Ryota Kajiki. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness,” he introduced himself, bowing once more. “Please forgive my rude introduction, I didn’t realize Your Royal Highness would be attending the tournament. I know it’s not much, but you and your entourage are welcome to have some of my fish,” he said, gesturing towards the fire.

“‘Entourage’?” Jounouchi repeated, raising an eyebrow and frowning.

Bakura, meanwhile, seemed unbothered, and reached for one of the skewered fish. “I don’t care what people call us, I’m starving!”

If the others had any objections, they didn’t voice them. Eager for lunch, everyone sat down one by one on the rocks, including Atem and Kajiki; As the others reached for the grilled fish, Atem began cutting up the octopus.

“Hmm… This is kinda small, but there should be enough for- Oh!” he gasped, as if suddenly realizing something. “I know! Let’s cook it!”

With an excited twinkle in his eye, Atem picked up an unused skewer, and slid one of the octopus tentacles onto it. He held it in the middle of the flame for several seconds before pulling it out again.

“Ok, done!” he declared, and abruptly shoved the still-wet tentacle towards Yuugi. “Here, try it!”

“Um, that’s… That’s not really how cooking works,” Yuugi told him with an apologetic tilt of the head, leaning away slightly.

Atem frowned in confusion. “It’s not?”

Kajiki suppressed a laugh. “With all due respect, Your Highness- Please, allow me to do the cooking,” he said, bowing once more and hiding an amused smile.

With a nod, Atem wordlessly handed the octopus over to Kajiki. He watched, curious, as Kajiki set the skewers between the rocks on the outside of the fire, so they stood over the flame.

“Aren’t you supposed to put them in the fire?” Atem wondered, as the others ate their fish.

Kajiki shook his head. “No, Your Highness. They go _near_ the fire, to get warm- But if you put them _in_ the fire, they’d just catch and get all burnt,” he explained.

“Ohhh, I see.” Atem gave a slow nod, watching the octopus as if contemplating this new information.

“So, Kajiki,” Jounouchi began as he took a bite of fish. “You’re some sorta like, sea hobo or something?”

Kajiki nearly choked on his fish. “Wha- _Sea hobo?!”_ he exclaimed, in what was almost a shriek. “Just what makes you think-”

He paused, glancing down in sudden realization; He gingerly brushed the wrinkles out of the tattered, dirty old blue skirt that wrapped around his waist, blushing in embarrassment.

“...Look, I don’t _live_ here,” he explained with a huff. “I’m a duelist, same as you.”

“Huh, you don’t say.”

Atem raised a hand tentatively. “Is the octopus done yet?”

Kajiki shook his head. “No, Your Highness. It won’t be done for a while,” he admitted. “Cooking takes time.”

“Whaaat? That’s dumb. I’m just gonna eat it now,” Atem decided, scowling as he reached for one of the octopus skewers.

Yuugi watched, slightly unnerved, as Atem began casually munching on the half-cooked octopus; It occurred to him that merfolk probably ate all their food raw, which… In hindsight, suddenly Atem’s confusion over cooking made a lot more sense, Yuugi realized. And speaking of merfolk…

“Um, Kajiki-san,” Yuugi said hesitantly. “Is it alright if I ask you a question?”

Kajiki nodded as he chewed his fish.

“Alright, well… I’m sorry if this is rude, or like, a stupid question, cause I haven’t met many merpeople, but… I can’t help but notice that you look a little different from Prince Atem,” Yuugi began. “He’s all, you know…”

“Fashionable and good-looking?” Atem filled in for Yuugi.

Yuugi- Who had been in the process of holding his hands up by his ears and turning them back and forth, imitating gills and finned ears- Raised an eyebrow at Atem, but refrained from commenting. “...Um, so anyway, I was just kinda curious as to why?” he finished, turning his attention back towards Kajiki.

“Oh, it’s because I’m half human,” Kajiki replied simply.

“Woah, really?” Yuugi gasped. “I guess that makes sense…”

“So what’s it like being half merman?” Anzu wondered.

Kajiki paused for a moment before answering, glancing out at the horizon with a wistful expression.

“Well… I grew up with the sea,” he said with a soft smile. “The sea is just like a person, you know? It has feelings.”

“It does?” Honda replied slightly sarcastically, frowning in confusion; The others watched with expressions ranging from curious to perplexed.

Kajiki nodded. “Yeah. I can tell its mood just by looking at it. I know when it laughs, when it cries, and when it’s angry… And the sea watches us, too, just like we watch it,” he added.

Atem raised a hand once again. “Um… I don’t mean to be rude, but I think you’re kind of overhyping the ocean,” he admitted, raising an eyebrow. “Like, I know I’m gonna rule it some day and all, but it’s- It’s just a bunch of water,” he pointed out. “Really, that’s all it is. It’s not that great.”

“Yeah, I’m with Atem on this one,” Jounouchi announced, crossing his arms and turning away dismissively. “The ocean sucks. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to live there.”

A collective gasp of shock seemed to echo across the circle. 

“Jounouchi! Don’t be rude!” Anzu scolded him.

 _“I_ live there,” Atem retorted with a glare. “It’s my father’s _job_ to make sure the ocean is a desirable place to live. ...Well, his and… The rest of our government… And, uh, several human government agencies, but- I mean, you get my point,” he muttered awkwardly.

“Why would you say something so mean?” Bakura wondered, giving Jounouchi a look of shock and disappointment.

Jounouchi’s cheeks burned bright red, as he shrunk back slightly in embarrassment. “...Look, I… I-I just don’t think it’s that cool, alright?” he mumbled, looking away. “Sorry.”

For a moment, Kajiki growled in anger, fists clenched- But he soon paused, took a deep breath, and sat back down.

“You don’t truly understand the sea,” he told Jounouchi. “To be honest, very few people do. Not humans, not merfolk… Not even you, Your Highness,” he added, glancing towards Atem. “The only people who truly understand how powerful the ocean is are fishermen.”

“What do you mean?” Atem asked.

Kajiki sighed, glancing out at the ocean once more.

“A few years ago… My dad and I went out fishing, just like any other day. I could tell the sea was in a good mood,” he recounted. “But suddenly, something changed… There had been an oil spill nearby, and it made the sea angry. The water rose up, swallowed our boat like it was nothing.” He shook his head sadly. “My father and I survived, but our boat was destroyed. A fisherman’s livelihood depends on their boat, you know! It was like losing a family member.”

“Oh, I remember that spill!” Atem realized with a gasp. “It was right over the town of Per-Amun. Lots of people got sick. Apparently the company responsible had been paying bribes to dodge environmental safety regulations for years, it was a big scandal,” he recalled. “I remember the whole town got together to sue the shit out of them.”

“Serves them right! That’s messed up,” Bakura exclaimed. (Anzu and Yuugi nodded in agreement.)

Kajiki gave a solemn nod. “...Anyway, that’s why I’m entering the tournament- With that much money, I could buy a new boat! A real tough one, one that won’t sink! Maybe I’ll even get the latest sonar!” he laughed, suddenly cheerful again.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Anzu realized.

Yuugi smiled. “I hope you can get a really nice boat, Kajiki-san!”

“Yeah, good luck, man,” Honda added.

Jounouchi nodded in agreement. “Yeah… Um, sorry for being rude earlier,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Thanks for the food. We should probably get going now.”

“Oh yeah, good point,” Yuugi agreed, and stood up. “Bye, thank you for the food! Good luck with your duels!”

“Thank you!” Atem called out as he followed Yuugi and the others, while Anzu, Honda, and Bakura echoed similar sentiments.

“Hold on!”

As the group walked away, something suddenly landed on the ground just next to Yuugi, causing him to jump away with a squeak of alarm. He glanced over, horrified, to find a harpoon sticking out of the ground just centimeters away from where he’d been standing.

“Hey! What the hell, man?! Watch where you’re throwing that thing!” Jounouchi exclaimed, turning over his shoulder to glare at Kajiki. “You just almost killed Yuugi!”

“P-Please don’t throw sharp objects at me,” Yuugi whimpered, still tensed and trembling in place as if afraid to move.

Kajiki smirked. “Heh… Sorry to say this, but… Like I said, I’m in it to win it,” he reminded them. “Those fish were my bait for other duelists- And you guys fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I’m not letting a big catch like Yuugi get away!”

Yuugi groaned, casting a glance at the nearby duel box as he realized what Kajiki meant.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” he sighed, taking out his deck.

* * *

“So, you’ve got… How many star chips is that now, Yuugi?” Bakura asked, as the group continued away from the coast.

“Five,” Yuugi replied. “I’m halfway there, but I’m not going to let my guard down!”

“And Jounouchi still needs to catch up,” Anzu added, glancing at Jounouchi’s significantly more empty duel glove.

Jounouchi sighed. “Man… That was a crazy duel, though! That Kajiki guy’s a little weird, but it’s hard not to like him,” he admitted with a laugh.

Atem nodded in agreement. “It was a duel to remember, for sure. That was really clever what you did, Yuugi, using the moon to-”

Atem’s analysis went unfinished, interrupted by the sound of loud shouting.

“Put me down! Put me _down!_ Let me-”

“Shut up!”

“Somebody help me!”

Exchanging wide-eyed glances, the group wasted no time in hurrying towards the source of the sound.

Not far from where they’d been, they found it: A young boy with a duel glove, struggling against the grip of a much larger man in a suit, with spiked hair and dark sunglasses.

“Put me down!” the boy shrieked once again.

“Get over it, kid!” the man in the suit snapped. “I’m kicking you out, like it or not. Your duel glove is empty. You know the rules- No star chips, no entry. Game over.”

“But I didn’t lose my star chips in a duel!” the boy wailed. “This weird kid in a mask _stole them!_ And he took my deck, too!”

Yuugi and the others gasped, exchanging looks of silent horror.

“Too bad! I don’t care how you lost them, you’re out!”

As the man in the suit continued to drag the boy towards the coast, Jounouchi clenched a fist. 

_“Hey!”_ he shouted, pointing accusatorily at the man. “Let that kid go, asshole! You heard him- His star chips were stolen! That’s different from losing a duel!”

While the boy made pleading eye contact with Jounouchi, the man in the suit simply scowled, seemingly unfazed. “Don’t interfere with official business! Unless you’d like to be disqualified, too?” he added with a smirk.

Jounouchi gasped, unsure how to respond; Behind him, Atem growled.

 _“That’s enough,”_ he muttered through clenched teeth.

Drawing himself up to his full height, Atem marched towards the man in the suit.

“You,” he addressed the man, standing directly in front of him with arms crossed. “What’s your name?”

The man frowned. “Who’s asking.”

 _“Who’s asking?”_ Atem repeated, raising an eyebrow. He squared his shoulders and turned his chin up, staring the man dead in the eye with what was a frighteningly strong presence for someone so small. 

_“I_ am _Prince_ Atem, son of King Akhenamkanon and Queen Henuttawy of the Kingdom of Kemet. A single hair off my head is worth more than your entire net worth. I have witnessed more laws being written than you’ve ever even _read_ your inconsistent little ‘rules’,” he snapped. “The rules of this tournament say only that you become disqualified if you lose all your star chips in a duel. This boy did not, therefore he’s still in the game. Now let him go.”

The man took a sharp breath in, his grip faltering slightly as he paled in realization; Behind his sunglasses, Atem could see his eyes go wide and dart around with uncertainty. “...I… B-But, Your Highness, I have orders from Mr. Pegasus-”

“Oh really? Well _I_ am ordering you to let this boy go,” Atem retorted, and the man flinched slightly at his glare. “Or are you going to tell me Pegasus has a greater authority than I do?”

How it could be possible for someone to go quite so pale and still be alive, Yuugi wasn’t sure, but the man in the suit had certainly reached a new record. Seemingly in a panic, he dropped the boy instantly, and bowed deeply and abruptly to Atem.

“P-Please forgive me, Your Highness,” the man stammered, bowing over and over. “I’m- I’m very sorry. I meant Your Royal Highness no disrespect. It won’t happen again.”

“That’s right, it won’t,” Atem snapped. “Now get out of my sight.”

The man seemed to have no qualms about following _that_ order, squeaking in fear as he dashed off without another word.

The boy sighed in relief.

“Thank you for saving me- Um, Your Highness,” the boy muttered, meeting Atem’s gaze only briefly before glancing back down at the ground.

Atem gave a reassuring smile; Much to the shock of the rest of the group, he suddenly seemed to drop the intimidating aura as easily as dropping a coin. “You’re welcome. Are you ok? That guy didn’t hurt you, did he?” he asked.

“I-I think I’m ok,” the boy replied. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without my deck and my star chips, though…”

“Who was it that took them?” Yuugi wondered.

“I don’t know. It was some kid with a bandana covering his face,” the boy recalled, frowning at the memory. “He just kinda came out of nowhere and challenged me to a duel, so I accepted, but- The second I put my deck and my star chips down, he just grabbed them and ran off!”

“Geez, what a nasty thing to do!” Bakura exclaimed.

Jounouchi clenched a fist in anger. “Man, that’s just- That’s not right! You know what? I’m gonna catch this thief,” he announced. “Star chips are like a duelist’s life, and so is their deck! I wouldn’t forgive someone for randomly killing people, and I won’t forgive someone for stealing from a duelist, either!”

“Yeah!” Yuugi agreed.

Anzu raised an eyebrow. “Seems a little dramatic, but… Ok.”

“Oh, and I’m taking half your star chips as payment when I catch him.”

Anzu smacked a hand against her forehead.

The boy sighed. “That’s fine. I mostly just want my deck back,” he muttered. “Be careful, though! He might try to steal yours, too!”

“Not gonna happen,” Jounouchi scoffed. “Don’t worry- I’m tough in more ways than one. Come on, guys, let’s go!” he declared, gesturing for the others to follow his lead.

Yuugi and Anzu exchanged glances.

Shrugging, Yuugi followed after Jounouchi; The others followed not far behind him, fresh grass rustling under their feet as they continued deeper into the forest.

* * *

_Castle Pegasus._

Pegasus sighed contentedly as he raised his glass, leaning back comfortably in his chair.

“Ah, there’s nothing quite like this… Cheese gorgonzola, and the finest red wine- Oops, I mean fruit juice,” he teased, holding up the comic book in his hand. “Wouldn’t want to get in trouble with the CCA, now, would we? Haha!”

The man standing at attention behind Pegasus raised an eyebrow slightly, but otherwise gave no comment; Pegasus held his pose for a moment, waiting for a reaction to his joke, but soon fell to a stony-faced expression as he realized there wasn’t going to be one.

“...Anyway, Croquet… What’s the status of the tournament?”

The man gave a brisk nod. “It’s been six hours since the duels began, sir. Twelve of the forty participants have been eliminated, and the first boat of dropouts will be departing shortly.”

“Good. And I assume Yuugi is still in the running?”

“Yes, sir,” Croquet confirmed. “He currently has five star chips.”

“Oh, wonderful! Now that’s our Yuugi-boy!” Pegasus cheered. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he makes it to the finals! And you know what happens then…”

Croquet nodded silently.

“Oh, and what of our little troublemaker? Have you caught him yet?” Pegasus continued.

Croquet bowed his head in apology. “Not yet, sir. We’re still searching.”

Pegasus sighed. “And after I went through the trouble of having him here as my own personal guest… To think our reception was bad enough to scare him away…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well, no matter. I’m sure we all know where he’s headed, anyway,” Pegasus said. “Keep a close eye on Yuugi, and when our dear friend challenges him, take him and lock him in the dungeon. Understood?”

Croquet gave another obedient nod. “Yes, sir!”

Pegasus smiled in satisfaction, and leaned back in his chair once more. “Well, I guess that settles that, then,” he decided, picking up his comic book. “Now then, where was I…”

“Oh, Mr. Pegasus- I’m afraid there’s one more thing, sir,” Croquet interrupted as Pegasus flipped through the pages.

Pegasus raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

“There was… A slight problem in removing one of the dropouts from the island,” Croquet admitted. “It seems Saruwatari released him, following the orders of Prince Atem of Kemet.”

Pegasus froze.

“...What did you say?”

“Sir,” Croquet replied with a nod. “Saruwatari released one of the dropout duelists, as he was ordered to do so by the prince of Kemet.”

“The _prince of Kemet?!”_ Pegasus repeated in a low gasp. “He’s _here?_ On this island?!”

“So it seems, sir,” Croquet confirmed. “He appears to be travelling with Yuugi Mutou and Katsuya Jounouchi.”

Pegasus went quiet for several moments. He stared down at his plate, eerily silent.

“...There’s been a change of plans,” he announced quietly.

Croquet gave the slightest frown of confusion. “Sir?”

“Forget about the tournament,” Pegasus said in a dark tone. “Your new orders are to eliminate the Prince of Kemet and his friends using whatever means necessary. They are not to leave this island alive, understand?”

Croquet’s eyes widened behind his sunglasses as he gave a quiet gasp.

“Yes, Mr. Pegasus,” he promised, bowing deeply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where things REALLY start picking up. >:3c

_The Royal Palace, Tanis, Kemet._

A cool stream blew through the palace courtyard, causing the beds of carefully cultivated seaweed to sway ever so gently. The cooling current was offset by the warmth of the afternoon sun; Its rays shone through the open geometric roof, creating an iridescence of blue-green and purple as it hit the scales of the tail that flicked impatiently below.

“It’s been. Nearly half an hour,” Mahaad muttered, idly watching the bright pink tail fin that wobbled back and forth in front of his face- His apprentice, apparently out of boredom, had taken to walking on her hands back and forth across the floor. “This is getting a little bit absurd.”

“Oh, don’t be so hard on him,” another voice replied, that of an elderly man playing solitaire at one of the patio tables. “He’s a teenager, after all. It’s not that unusual to sleep a lot at his age. I’m sure he’ll grow out of it.”

Mahaad sighed. “With all due respect, Lord Siamun, I was a teenager not that long ago,” he pointed out. “I don’t think I ever slept _this_ late. I understand if Prince Atem needs extra sleep, but if that’s the case, he needs to take responsibility and go to bed earlier instead of skipping out on his duties.”

“I’m the same age as Prince Atem, and _I’m_ always on time to training,” Mana announced in a matter-of-fact tone. “Usually.” She lifted her hands off the floor and flipped over, righting her orientation once more and stretching out casually.

“Mm, I suppose you both make good points… Well, why don’t you go wake him up, then?” Siamun suggested.

Mana glanced towards Mahaad, silently waiting for permission; After Mahaad gave a small nod, Mana saluted dramatically. 

“I’ll be back with the prince in five minutes!” she proclaimed, and swam off towards the hall.

* * *

Mana hovered in front of the coral door, watching her distorted reflection grin back at her in the ornate mother-of-pearl detailing. Most people would have been inclined to be quiet and polite in waking up a sleeping prince, and yet…

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!” Mana shouted cheerfully as she slammed the door open with violent force. “You’re like, waaaay late to training, so you better get your royal butt out of bed before-”

Mana paused, as she suddenly realized that she had not heard a response to her merciless harassment. Frowning, she swam over to the bed- Only to find it empty.

“Prince Atem?” she called out in confusion, glancing around the room in search of the boy. Sure enough, he didn’t appear to be around; The TV and the computer were off, and the desk was empty. Strange… Surely he hadn’t gotten up yet, right? So where-

...Mana’s search came to a halt as her gaze fell upon the large storage chest by the wall. _Of course._

Swimming with careful, quiet movements, Mana slowly, ever-so-cautiously approached the chest, and-

 _“Bleeeeh!”_ she screeched, sticking her tongue out as she threw the lid off the chest.

Silence. Nothing greeted Mana but a pile of toys and games.

Her frown deepening, Mana turned back to face the rest of the room. 

“Ok, seriously, where are you hiding?” she asked the empty room. “Very funny, but seriously, I think master Mahaad’s kinda mad at you. You know it’s like, 12:30, right?”

As she spoke, Mana began a more thorough search of the room. She poked her head under the desk, and, finding it empty, she did the same under the bed; As she came up again, she couldn’t help but notice a certain skull-patterned black nightgown, folded up neatly on the bed. Was Atem already awake?

Mana scratched her head in bafflement as she left the room, heading back towards the courtyard- And, too distracted to look where she was going, nearly crashed into someone else.

“Oh! Queen Henuttawy!” she gasped, and bowed her head politely. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”

“Good afternoon, Mana,” the queen replied with a smile, and then raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be training with Mahaad right now?”

Mana sighed. “Um, about that, actually… Have you seen Prince Atem?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen him yet today, no,” Henuttawy replied. “Why?”

“He didn’t show up to training today.”

“Ah… He must have overslept again. I swear, that boy…” Henuttawy sighed, and shook her head in dismay. “I’ll go wake him up for you.”

“Actually, Your Majesty, that’s where I just was,” Mana admitted. “He wasn’t in his room, and his pajamas were on his bed, so I guess he’s already up..?”

Henuttawy frowned. “You mean he skipped out on training? That’s strange… That doesn’t seem very like him,” she realized, her expression changing from one of confusion to concern.

Mana bit her lip worriedly. “I know.”

An eerie silence seemed to fall over the hall as both women glanced around, as if hoping Atem would appear. 

“...I’ll help you look for him,” Henuttawy decided after a moment. “He has to be somewhere, right? I’m sure he’ll turn up.”

Mana nodded. “Right. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

* * *

Mana chewed her lip and wrung her hands as she nervously flitted back and forth at the side of the room. Mahaad appeared far more calm, floating at attention next to her with a neutral expression; His hand, however, kept a white-knuckled grip on his staff, betraying his own tense mood.

“You’re sure you double-checked everywhere?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the head of the guards said, head bowed deeply as he addressed the king. “My men have searched up and down the palace grounds. No one has seen Prince Atem.”

“Did you check in all the big vases?” Mana blurted out, and then immediately slapped a hand over her mouth for speaking out of turn.

The guard raised an eyebrow slightly in amusement, but nodded. “Yes, my lady. I assure you, our search has been quite thorough.”

The members of the court exchanged worried glances.

“Who was the last person to see the prince?” Akhenadin asked. “Where was the last place anyone saw him?”

“The last I saw him was when I went to bed, around nine last night,” Queen Henuttawy replied. “Has anyone seen him since then?”

One of the guards raised a hand. “I did, Your Majesty. I was on the night shift last night, I saw His Highness leave the palace through the east gate around 10:30. He said he was going for a swim,” he explained. “I… Didn’t think much of it at the time because, as I’m sure Your Majesty is well aware, Prince Atem goes for late-night swims fairly regularly. He’s never not come home before.”

“You mean you didn’t see him come back?” Akhenadin prompted.

The guard shook his head. “No, my lord. I was on shift from ten until four, and I didn’t see him come back. At the time I simply assumed he’d gone in through another door.”

King Akhenamkanon exchanged worried glances with his queen. “Has anyone seen him since then?” 

The room fell silent; After a moment, the head of the guards hesitantly spoke into his communicator, swallowing as if afraid of the answer.

“Captain to all units: Has anyone seen Prince Atem since approximately 10:30 P.M. last night? Over.”

The suspense felt almost tangible as responses slowly began rolling in. _“B squad to captain- No one here, sir. Over.”_

_“C squad here. Negative. Over.”_

_“That’s a negative from E squad, sir. Over.”_

_“D squad to captain. Negative here. Over.”_

“Oh, god,” Henuttawy whispered, face going pale. 

Akhenamkanon bit his lip and clenched his fist as he looked to the head of the guard. “Alert the police. Search the city,” he ordered. “Keep things quiet- I don’t want news of my son’s disappearance spreading, but he must be found.”

The guard nodded, and bowed solemnly. “Yes, Your Majesty. May the gods protect His Royal Highness.”

* * *

_Duelist Kingdom._

“I’m telling you, if we split up we’ll have a better chance of finding him!”

“And _I’m_ telling _you,_ splitting the party is how you end up dead! Do you _want_ to get your star chips stolen?!”

“This isn’t an RPG, dumbass!”

“It’s not just an RPG thing, it’s life advice!”

Yuugi groaned as he listened to the argument- Much like their group- Continue to go in pointless circles. He and the others had been wandering the island for what must have been at least 20 minutes, and seen no sign of the mysterious thief; The concept of changing their tactics, however, was apparently surprisingly controversial.

“Look, all I’m saying is we don’t have all day,” Jounouchi pointed out. “I said I’d catch that thief and I meant it, but we’re still in the middle of a tournament! We don’t have time to keep wandering in circles! If we split up, we’ll be able to cover more ground.”

“I’m with Bakura on this one,” Atem responded, putting a hand on his hip. “You know how easy it is to get lost in a place like this? If we split up, we’ll never find each other again.”

“You know what _I_ think we should do?” Anzu interrupted.

“What?”

“Continue walking around aimlessly, talking _very_ loudly about how we’re looking for the thief,” Anzu replied, with heavy sarcasm. “Who knows, maybe the thief will be so flattered they’ll just jump out of the bushes and-”

As Anzu spoke, the group suddenly heard a loud rustling sound in the bushes behind them- Instantly drawing attention, as the area had been fairly quiet up until then. Yuugi and the others instinctively turned to look, just as a figure leapt out.

It was a short, seemingly young child, with a colorful shirt, chunky sneakers, a beanie pulled down low… And a bandana obscuring their face.

 _“You!”_ Jounouchi gasped, as the thief pointed silently at Yuugi. “So _you’re_ the one who’s been-”

“Wait, Jounouchi-kun,” Yuugi interrupted, putting a hand out to hold him back. Something about the thief- That figure, the way they pointed at Yuugi, those wide, angry eyes- Something just seemed… Familiar. 

It was as if…

As if…

“...It’s me you’re looking for, isn’t it?” Yuugi said softly, meeting the thief’s gaze.

The thief nodded.

The others watched, stunned into silence, as Yuugi gave the thief a sympathetic look. “I understand. Let’s talk,” he said with a smile, extending a hand and carefully stepping closer. “I promise I don’t have any sort of grudge against you, so-”

 _“Duel me!”_ the thief shouted, causing Yuugi- And several of the others- To flinch slightly in surprise.

Yuugi held his hands up in surrender. “Oh, um, are you sure? Really, we don’t have to duel, I promise I’ll listen to whatever you- O-Oh, ok then,” he muttered awkwardly as the thief suddenly grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the nearest duel box with an irritated huff.

The others trailed behind Yuugi and the thief, exchanging glances of confusion and concern; Atem in particular felt lost, watching the solemn expression on Yuugi’s face as he and the thief shuffled their decks.

“Does Yuugi know this guy?” Atem asked, leaning towards the others and keeping his voice low.

Jounouchi shrugged. “Seems like he does? I’m just as lost as you, man,” he admitted. “Although you know… I kinda feel like that kid’s voice sounded familiar…”

“Yeah, me too,” Anzu agreed, frowning slightly. “I just can’t seem to place it, though…”

With nothing left to say, the group turned their attention back towards the duel, frowns of thought and concern on their faces.

“Um… How many star chips are you betting?” Yuugi asked, as he placed his deck down on the table.

The thief held up 5 fingers.

Yuugi raised both eyebrows in surprise. “Are you sure? I mean, if you insist, but… I have five star chips,” he pointed out, as he nonetheless began removing his star chips from his glove. “If you bet five, then I’ll get to go to the finals. And I’m not saying that to be full of myself or anything, it’s just…” He paused, sighing and lowering his voice slightly.. “Look, I didn’t want to crush your hopes, but… You can’t win with a stolen deck. This just isn’t that kind of game. It takes time and practice to understand a deck, and-”

Before Yuugi could finish, the thief suddenly reached across the table, grabbing Yuugi’s star chips.

“Hey!” Yuugi gasped, as the thief took off-

“Oh no you don’t!”

As Jounouchi grabbed the thief, the beanie and bandana slipped; Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda all collectively gasped in shock.

 _“Mokuba?!”_ the three exclaimed.

“Who?” Atem asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bakura frowned. “Don’t ask me, I don’t know either…”

“Mokuba Kaiba, Seto Kaiba’s little brother,” Jounouchi explained hastily, glaring at his captive. “This little weasel almost killed me and Yuugi once-”

“Wait, _Seto Kaiba?”_ Atem repeated, his expression shifting rapidly between confusion, shock, and disbelief-

“Now give Yuugi his star chips back, or else!”

“No! Never!” Mokuba shouted back, as Jounouchi ignored Atem.

Anzu bit her lip, and crouched down in front of Mokuba. “Mokuba… Are you still angry at Yuugi?” she asked gently.

“Of course I am! _He’s_ the one who put my brother in a coma!” Mokuba snapped. “He has to be taken care of by nurses 24/7- So many doctors have looked at him but nobody knows what’s wrong, they said he might not ever-” He paused, taking a deep, shaking breath and clenching his fists before continuing. “...But look, that’s not what this is about, ok?! You guys have no idea what’s at-”

“Hold _on!”_ Atem interrupted with a loud, frustrated shout, finally drawing the others’ attention. “Can someone _please_ explain to me what the hell is going on?!” 

“Yeah, um, and me..?” Bakura added hesitantly, still frowning.

The group, Mokuba included, reluctantly settled down.

Mokuba sighed. “I guess I’ve got a lot to explain anyway, so I might as well start from the beginning,” he decided, crossing his arms. “Sit down, dweebs.”

“I’ll help explain,” Yuugi assured Atem and Bakura, giving them an apologetic look as the group sat down on the ground.

* * *

“...So let me get this straight,” Atem began slowly, arms crossed and brow furrowed as he took in everything he’d heard. “You put the guy who runs Kaiba Corporation- Mokuba’s brother- In a coma, because he… Built a theme park to kill you… Because he stole your grandpa’s card and you beat him in a duel?” 

Yuugi shrugged. “More or less.”

“And now the guy who made Duel Monsters made this whole tournament as a scheme to duel Yuugi, because, uh… Yuugi ruined KaibaCorp’s gamer cred, and so the stockholders said if Pegasus can publicly beat Yuugi they’ll make him the new CEO, even though you… Ate the key to an important safe?” Atem continued, looking towards Mokuba.

“Sure did!” Mokuba confirmed with a grin.

“And Kaiba wants to build theme parks for orphans.”

“Yeah.”

...Atem went quiet for a very, very long time. He stared at the ground with his hands on his hips, lips pursed.

“I’m sorry,” Yuugi said, giving Atem an apologetic look. “I know it’s confusing…”

“Oh, no, I understand just fine. Politics is _way_ worse,” Atem assured him with a dismissive handwave. “I’m not confused, just… Astounded. I feel like every word you guys have said would be perfectly acceptable in literally any order other than the one you said them in.”

“Welcome to my life,” Yuugi sighed. (Bakura nodded in agreement, as Atem gave them both concerned looks.)

“Anyway…” Mokuba clenched both fists. “That’s why I can’t let you fight Pegasus, Yuugi! I have to protect my brother’s company, no matter what. If there’s even the slightest chance that he might wake up, then… Then I have to make sure he can still achieve his dream,” he insisted, voice trembling slightly.

The group fell solemnly quiet.

“Mokuba… Your brother _will_ wake up,” Yuugi replied sincerely. “I know he will. As hard as they are, punishment games are meant to teach people, not to kill them. I never would have done that to your brother if I weren’t completely confident he’d be able to overcome it with his own strength,” he explained. “But my grandpa _won’t_ wake up unless I beat Pegasus. That’s why I have to do this, and it’s why I can’t risk losing, either.”

Mokuba bit his lip. “I… But- But what if you lose?”

“Mokuba,” Anzu interrupted, giving him a gentle look. “Yuugi believes in your brother, and in you. Now, do you think you can believe in Yuugi in return?”

Mokuba froze, taking a deep breath; His eyes went wide, conflict clear in his face. As Mokuba hesitated, Yuugi met his gaze with determination.

“I swear to you, Mokuba. I _will_ defeat Pegasus. I’m going to win this, for my grandpa _and_ for your brother. So please, can I have my star chips back?”

Mokuba bit his lip once more, and, after a moment’s hesitation, gave a small yet serious nod.

Yuugi let out a sigh of relief, smiling brightly and holding out his hand. “Thank you, Mokuba,” he said, as the rest of the group seemed to relax as well.

“Hey,” Atem said offhandedly as Mokuba returned Yuugi’s star chips. “Does anyone else smell something weird? Like, something kinda plasticy?”

“Come to think of it, yeah,” Jounouchi realized, frowning and sniffing the air; Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Wait, it smells like-”

Jounouchi didn’t have to finish his sentence as a sudden blast of heat hit the group’s skin, coming from the center of the island, with a bright light following only seconds behind it.

Bakura’s eyes widened in horror as he shouted what everyone was thinking. “It’s a forest fire!”

“Run for the beach!”

Everything seemed to happen all at once. Within seconds, nearly everything was ablaze. Leaves crumbled to ash before their eyes; Atem ran, barely even sure where he was going, desperately trying to stay with the group as the bright flame blinded him, the crackling roar nearly drowning out his friends’ coughs and shouts.

The fire was… A horror like nothing he’d ever experienced before. It wasn’t the heat of passion, wasn’t the life-giving warmth of the sun- Nor was it anything like the wet heat of the sea, above thermal vents or next to furnaces; No, it was the raw, untamed fury of chaos and death. It was a dry, biting, _angry_ heat, one that stung Atem’s eyes, his skin, his lungs, his gills, his ears, the inside of his nose and mouth, and _especially_ the bottoms of his bare feet. He found himself stumbling as the pain became too much to bear, and someone- He couldn’t even tell who, he was so disoriented- Grabbed him and helped hurriedly drag him along; He clung to them in return, grateful for any kind of anchor within the chaos.

Atem was burning up, inside and out.

He didn’t even realize fully they were at the beach until they _were,_ and he gasped, the sudden relief of the cool water almost just as much of a shock to his system as the fire; He coughed and blinked rapidly, trying to rinse the ash out of his eyes as he tried to get his bearings.

Hesitantly, he stood up- And immediately regretted it, as the still-too-dry air did not seem to agree with his raw, singed gills. Quickly ducking back down, he coughed several times and grumbled in irritation before slowly, carefully poking the top of his head out of the water, just enough to see above the surface.

Yuugi and the others huddled close together at the water’s edge. Several of the humans waded further into the water, or splashed it hurriedly onto whatever burns they’d amassed; Others simply watched, horrified and silent, as the forest continued to blaze.

“Is everyone ok?” 

“I think I have some burn cream in my first aid kit,” Honda said, reaching into his bag. “I don’t know if I have enough for everyone, but…” He wordlessly gestured for the others to line up for treatment.

Bakura grimaced as he held out his arm to Honda, glancing nervously back at the forest. “What do we do about the fire?”

“What _can_ we do? Toss a few handfuls of beach water onto it?” Jounouchi replied, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I hate to say it, guys, but I think we’re stuck here until it rains.”

Atem’s eyes widened, as Jounouchi’s words suddenly gave him an idea. Hurriedly, he stood up to share his thoughts with the others.

“Hey, I think I can-” Atem found himself cut off mid-sentence by a sudden coughing fit; As he ducked back under the water, the others glanced over at him idly, as if they’d barely heard him.

“Hmm? Did you say something, Your Highness?” Anzu asked.

“I said I think I-”

Atem doubled over slightly and clutched at his gills in pain, silently cursing the fire as yet another violent coughing fit interrupted his words. He quickly ducked under once more, and growled in irritation.

Taking a deep, long breath, Atem popped out of the water one last time. _“Yuugi!”_ he shouted, before retreating once again.

Yuugi blinked, glancing over at Atem in surprise. “Yeah..?”

Atem raised one hand above the water, and pointed firmly at Yuugi, then gestured for him to come closer.

Yuugi exchanged confused, uncertain glances with his friends; After a moment’s pause and no explanation, Yuugi slowly took off his shoes, still looking quite confused as he waded hesitantly into the water.

As Yuugi floated in front of Atem, Atem gestured for Yuugi to come under.

“...Um…” Yuugi hesitated for a moment, frowning.

Unsure what else to do, Yuugi took a deep breath, and ducked under the water, watching Atem expectantly.

Atem sighed in relief; _Finally,_ he could explain himself. “Ok, so-”

...He paused, realizing he had no idea how long humans could hold their breath. He’d have to work quickly.

“...Sobas’clyIthinkIcanputouthfirebuta’on’tthinkIc’nduwem’selfsoInidju’n’yerPuzzle’dhelpme _ok?”_ he blurted out as fast as he could.

Yuugi frowned at Atem for a moment, and then surfaced with a gasp.

“Slow _down,_ geez! I have no idea what you just said!” he exclaimed, waving his arms in bafflement at Atem.

“I’m sorry! I just didn’t want you to drown,” Atem shouted back.

Yuugi frowned, unable to hear Atem clearly through the water. “What?”

Atem sighed. “Look, just…” He gestured for Yuugi to come down once again.

Rolling his eyes, Yuugi took another breath, and ducked under to hear Atem out.

“Ok, so… I have something I need to tell you, but I don’t know how long humans can hold their breath, so- If you feel like you need to pause for air just go ahead, ok?” Atem told Yuugi, speaking more calmly this time.

Yuugi gave a silent thumbs-up.

“I think I know a way to put out the fire,” Atem began his explanation. “But it’s going to take a lot of power. I really doubt my magic is strong enough on its own. If you and I do it together, we should be able to use your Millennium Puzzle as a conduit, and that ought to do it.”

Yuugi gave Atem a questioning look.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain it. All you have to do is follow my lead,” Atem promised.

Yuugi nodded, and once again gave a thumbs-up before surfacing with a gasp.

“Alright, what do I need to do?” he asked.

Atem gestured for Yuugi to come down once again, and Yuugi nodded, taking a deep breath and ducking below the surface of the water.

“We’re going to do a rain spell,” Atem explained. “I’m going to say the words, and you follow along. Keep your hands on the Millennium Puzzle and try to visualize a storm, centered on the island. ...Although, come to think of it, we’ll need to both say it together, so… Uh…” He trailed off at the realization, frowning as he tried to think of a solution; His frown deepened, along with the sinking feeling in his chest, as he failed to think of one.

Yuugi watched Atem with a concerned frown, and after a moment, he shrugged apologetically and returned to the surface.

As Atem continued to ponder his problem, Yuugi turned his attention back towards the others. The rest of the group in turn, he noticed, were staring back at him and Atem, even as Honda wrapped a bandage around Jounouchi’s hand.

“Hey, Yuugi,” Honda shouted, over the roar of the fire and the shifting of the ocean. “Is Atem ok? Is he hurt at all?”

Yuugi frowned, glancing back at Atem for a moment before answering. “I’m not sure,” he shouted back to Honda. “I think-”

“What?”

Yuugi sighed, and waded towards the shore, closer to the rest of the group. Atem remained where he was, watching from a distance.

“Is Prince Atem ok?” Anzu asked worriedly as Yuugi approached.

“I’m not sure,” Yuugi repeated. “I don’t know if maybe he burned his gills, or if the air is just too dry for him or something, but he’s coughing a lot…”

Honda frowned, and glanced over at Atem, placing a hand on his chin as he contemplated what to do. “Hmm… Tell him to come here, I’ll see what I can do,” he decided.

Yuugi nodded, and returned to the water, relaying this information to Atem.

Following this suggestion, Atem swam out to shore, until there was no more room for him to float upright beneath the surface- Instead, he lay down on the shore, arms crossed under his chin as he glanced up at Honda.

“What’s the diagnosis, doc?” Atem muttered sarcastically.

Honda chewed his lip in puzzlement as he crouched down in front of Atem. “Ok, so… Uh, a-admittedly I don’t know how much I can do for you, I don’t… Really know much about merpeople anatomy or health, but… uh…”

He gestured for Atem to lift his chin up, and Atem complied, allowing Honda to gently adjust his head to get a better look at things; Without entirely knowing what he was looking for, Honda gingerly examined Atem’s gills, checking for any signs of damage.

“...Ok, uh… So I don’t really know what this is supposed to look like, but… um… I don’t thiiiink there’s any burns?” he announced tentatively. “Let’s see, uh…”

Gingerly, Honda lifted up the top layer of one side- And immediately Atem drew back, coughing and swatting at Honda’s hand in irritation.

“Ow! Hey! Watch what you’re doing!” Atem snapped in a wheezing splutter. 

“Sorry! Man, I-I dunno how to do this stuff, I’m not exactly a vet you know!” Honda exclaimed, putting his hands up in surrender.

“Yeah, well I’m not a fish, but don’t-” Atem coughed once more, and shot Honda a dirty look. “D-Don’t go sticking your fingers up people’s gills, geez…”

“Sorry,” Honda huffed once again, and sighed as Atem slowly returned to where he’d been. “In any case, the good news is I’m pretty sure you don’t have any burns- At least not around your neck, anyway. Uh, if I had to take a very uneducated guess, I’d say you’re probably just irritated from the dry air?” He shrugged. “Anyway, uh… I’m… Not really sure how well this will work, if at all, but I’ve got an idea.”

Atem watched curiously as Honda headed back to where he’d left his first aid kit. From its contents, Honda took out a pair of extra-large bandaids, and returned to the edge of the water.

“Alright, let’s see here…”

Honda unwrapped both bandaids, stuffed the packaging in his pocket, and- To Atem’s surprise- submerged both of them into the water, letting them soak for several seconds.

“Here’s hoping these actually stick...” Honda muttered. “Alright, c’mere.”

Atem shuffled forward on the sand, and hesitantly lifted his head out of the water; He held himself up on his arms and tried not to sink into the sand too much as Honda placed a wet bandaid over one side of Atem’s jaw, and then the other, giving them several gentle smacks in the hopes of getting them to stay on.

“This is one of the most awkward things I’ve ever experienced,” Atem mumbled.

“Sorry. It’s the best I can do,” Honda replied apologetically. He stood up, placing his hands on his hips to survey his handiwork, and nodded. “Ok, see if that helps you at all.”

Atem pushed himself back into the water- Fumbling a bit to get his hands out of the sandy holes they’d sunken into- And let the momentum carry him backwards, lazily floating back into a vertical position as he drifted. Finally, he popped out of the water once again; He waited one, two, five seconds, and when no sudden coughing spasms overtook him, he gave Honda a thumbs-up.

“That really helps! Thanks!” he called out towards the shore.

Honda beamed, and returned the gesture. “Glad it worked!”

With his health taken care of, Atem turned his attention back towards Yuugi, glancing briefly and anxiously at the fire. “Now then… Ready to do this?” he prompted.

Yuugi nodded, and stepped closer to Atem, holding out the Millennium Puzzle. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Right, like I said, just keep your hands on the Puzzle, repeat the words I tell you, and focus on the idea of summoning a storm over the island,” Atem explained. “I assume you know what it feels like to do magic, yeah?”

“Of course. Although sometimes I wish I didn’t,” Yuugi admitted.

Atem gave Yuugi a sympathetic look, but made no comment. He placed both hands on the Millennium Puzzle, overlapping Yuugi’s as they cradled the Puzzle between them.

He took a deep breath, feeling the Puzzle’s energy in his hands, and focused on the fire- Though he closed his eyes, the blaze far too bright to look at directly. Yuugi mirrored his actions; The rest of the group watched, silent and still, quietly praying that whatever they were about to do would work.

“Alright. Repeat after me: _Iadet, iadet, iadet.”_

 _“Iadet, iadet, iadet,”_ Yuugi repeated.

 _“Sedjem re em bia,”_ Atem continued.

 _“Se… Sedjem re em bia.”_ Yuugi’s tongue stumbled over the unfamiliar sounds. Still, he tried his best to repeat what he heard; His difficulty did not go unnoticed, as Atem glanced up slightly, and began speaking more slowly.

_“Iadet, iadet, iadet.”_

_“Iadet, iadet, iadet.”_

_“Re sheta,”_ Atem began the next line slowly.

 _“Re sheta,”_ Yuugi repeated.

 _“Sheta weret,”_ Atem continued.

_“Sh- Sheta weret…”_

_“Sem.”_

_“Sem,”_ Yuugi finished without much difficulty.

Atem gave a nod of approval. “Alright, let’s keep going. _Iadet, iadet, iadet.”_

_“Iadet, iadet, iadet.”_

_“Sedjem re em bia.”_

_“Sedjem re em bia.”_

As they spoke, Atem and Yuugi gradually settled into the magic, feeling its power flow through and around them. They kept their eyes closed, and spoke together, focused on the hum of the Puzzle beneath their hands as they almost fell into a meditative trance.

As they continued, the others exchanged wide-eyed glances as the air itself seemed to change; They watched as a shimmering, glowing eye glyph appeared on both Yuugi and Atem’s foreheads, while at the same time the sky began to darken. Yuugi and Atem’s chant grew more and more synchronized, until the others could hardly distinguish their voices.

_“Iadet, iadet, iadet. Sedjem re em bia. Iadet, iadet, iadet. Re sheta, sheta weret, sem. Iadet, iadet, iadet. Sedjem re em bia. Iadet, iadet, iadet. Re sheta, sheta weret, sem.”_

A loud boom startled Yuugi and Atem from their trance. Both glanced up, and- Sure enough, a large storm had gathered above the island, flashing and thundering as the rain drowned out the flames.

...And just like that, the energy dissipated. The glowing eyes faded away, and the magic with them, leaving the Puzzle cool and still. Atem and Yuugi could physically _feel_ the power leave their bodies and spirits; With the energy the Puzzle amplified gone, exhaustion hit the two boys like a wave as they came to realize just how much of their own energy it had taken to summon the storm.

Feeling completely and utterly drained, Yuugi stumbled slowly onto the beach, flopping down into the sand; Atem followed, crawling up to Yuugi’s side and mirroring his face-down laziness.

“Woah, he really _is_ a mer-boy, huh! Now there’s something you don’t see every day.”

Atem groaned and waved his tail with a half-hearted flop, not even bothering to look up at the unfamiliar voice; The rest of the group, however, was quite surprised to see the newcomer.

“Mai Kujaku? What are you doing here?” Bakura questioned. “And, uh…” He frowned in confusion, glancing at the short (and hideously dressed, in his opinion) figure next to Mai. “Um, sorry, who are you again..?”

The beanie-clad pile of textile sins huffed in irritation. “Whaddya mean, ‘who are you’?! Don’t you know anything?! I’m-”

 _“This_ is my minion,” Mai interrupted, leaning casually against her elbow- As it rested on his head. “His name’s not important.”

“Your ‘minion’?” Jounouchi repeated sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

Mai’s minion pulled himself away from her arm with an irritated growl. “It’s Dinosaur Ryuuzaki, damn it, and don’t you losers forget it!” he snapped.

“Dinosaur Ryuuzaki..?” Yuugi muttered from the sand, intrigued yet too exhausted to get up.

“Alright, so what are you doing here?” Bakura wondered.

“Geez, I can still smell her perfume…” Jounouchi muttered under his breath, glancing at Mai in distaste. “What do you creeps want?”

Mai rolled her eyes. “Well, we came here for what I’m assuming is the same reason as you guys- To escape the fire,” she replied. “As for what we _want…”_

Mai smirked, and paused for effect, placing a hand on her hip before pointing dramatically at Jounouchi.

“Jounouchi! You may have beaten me last time… But this time, you’re going to duel my minion!” she declared.

As the others exchanged looks ranging from shock to pity, Ryuuzaki blinked. 

“Wait, now? _Here?”_ He blurted out in surprise. “This terrain isn’t the greatest for my dinos, you know…”

Mai huffed in irritation, shooting Ryuuzaki a glare. “Oh, grow up! The terrain doesn’t matter! If your deck isn’t good without the right field, then it isn’t good at all,” she insisted. “Are you a duelist, or what?!”

“O-Of course I’m a duelist!” Ryuuzaki retorted, blushing in embarrassment.

Mai stomped over to Ryuuzaki, put both hands on his shoulders, and turned him promptly around to face the nearby duel box. “Then get in the damn duel box and _duel!”_

“Alright, alright! Geez!”

Back by the water’s edge, Yuugi pushed himself up onto his elbows, turning his attention towards the conversation. “Be careful, Jounouchi-kun,” he called out. “Don’t forget, Dinosaur Ryuuzaki was the runner-up in the national championships.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jounouchi replied, shooting a glance back towards Yuugi and Atem. “Hey, uh, speaking of that… Listen. I…” He paused, and took a deep breath. “This time around, I don’t want you guys to give me any dueling advice, ok?”

While Yuugi himself gave little reaction, the rest of the group certainly didn’t seem to take the comment lightly.

“Wait, _what?!”_ Anzu blurted out in shock. “Jounouchi, what are you saying?!”

“Are you crazy, man? I barely know anything about Duel Monsters, and even I know you don’t stand a chance against that guy,” Honda added in.

Bakura nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I’m not trying to insult you or anything- It’s just that Dinosaur Ryuuzaki is on a whole other level, you know? Are you sure this is a good idea?” he wondered.

“I know that!” Jounouchi snapped. “No, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. In fact, I think it’s probably a horrible one. But… I have to do this. For my sister.”

Anzu gave Jounouchi a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to keep relying on Yuugi to tell me what to do. I want to be someone my sister can look up to.” He paused, tilting his head thoughtfully, and then smiled. “I want to win with my own power, so I can show Shizuka that she can, too!”

“I understand, Jounouchi-kun,” Yuugi said, a slight smile on his face despite his exhaustion. “‘Sides, I’m too tired to think anyway, so…” 

He abruptly let his head drop down again, once again lying face-down on the beach.

“You go duel, and come get me when you’ve won,” he muttered, voice muffled by the sand.

Jounouchi grinned, and nodded. “Right! ...By the way, uh… Are you guys, like, ok?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow and giving Yuugi and Atem a look somewhere between concern and pity.

“Probably,” Yuugi replied.

Atem’s only response was a muffled groan, a weak thumbs-up, and another half-hearted flop.

Jounouchi’s look of concern deepened. 

Ryuuzaki cleared his throat in irritation. “Uh, if you losers are done having your little-”

“Wait, guys, hang on!” Anzu interrupted with a gasp. “I just realized something- Where’s Mokuba?”

The others shared equally horrified gasps, all collectively glancing around in search of the boy, a dawning horror falling upon the group.

Ryuuzaki blinked. “Who the hell is Mokuba?”

“Shit!” Honda groaned, smaking his forehead in frustration. “We must’ve lost track of him during the fire… God, I hope he made it out…”

“M-Maybe we should look for him,” Bakura suggested, biting his lip in worry.

Anzu nodded. “Definitely. Considering it seems like Pegasus’ goons are after him, we need to make sure he’s safe,” she pointed out.

“Oh, who _cares?!”_ Mai interrupted. “In case you all have forgotten, we’re in the middle of a tournament! And we challenged _you_ to a duel, Jounouchi,” she reiterated, pointing at him for emphasis. “Leave the sidequests for after the duel. Unless you’re too much of a coward to duel my minion?”

“Hey! Who are you calling a coward, lady?!” Jounouchi snapped, stomping his foot in irritation.

“Yeah! Jounouchi may be an idiot, but he’s no coward!” Honda added with equal passion, and then turned towards Jounouchi. “We’ll look for Mokuba. You go kick that dinosaur guy’s ass.”

Jounouchi nodded, and grinned. “You bet I will!”

“Are you going to be ok by yourself?” Bakura asked.

“I mean-” Jounouchi nodded over towards Yuugi and Atem. “Those two are still here…”

“Oh, right.”

Bakura glanced back at the two thoughtfully for a moment, before walking over to the edge of the water; He crouched down next to Yuugi, and reached out a hand to grab Yuugi’s arm, lifting it up and tilting his head with a curious look.

“What are you doing?” Yuugi muttered, still face-down in the sand.

“Checking your pulse to see if you’re dead,” Bakura replied.

This got Yuugi to look up. “Uh, I think I’d know if I were dead..?” he pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, I guess I should have asked first, huh,” Bakura realized with a frown. He then turned to Atem. “Hey, are you dead? Want me to check your pulse?”

“What the hell kind of a question is that?”

“So you’re alive, then?” Bakura asked, just to be sure.

“Yes, I’m alive,” Atem grumbled in response. “Geez…”

“Ok, good.” 

Bakura nodded in satisfaction, and then stood up, turning back towards the group. “Ok guys, we can go look for Mokuba now!” he called out.

Jounouchi raised an eyebrow at Bakura, but said nothing; As Honda, Bakura, and Anzu turned back towards the charred remains of the forest, Jounouchi followed Mai and Ryuuzaki to the duel box, giving Honda a nod of conviction as they each went their separate ways.

“Good luck, Jounouchi!” Anzu called out, and gave one last wave over her shoulder. “Be careful!”

“Don’t you guys worry! I’m gonna kick his butt!” Jounouchi shouted back with a grin.

The moment he reached the duel box, though, Jounouchi’s confidence seemed to disappear. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves.

Nothing to be afraid of, right? After all, it was only Dinosaur Ryuuzaki, the runner-up in the national championship tournament. Right. Only the… second best player in all of Japan. And… Jounouchi had requested that the more experienced players not give him any advice. 

Jounouchi took a quick glance back at Atem and Yuugi, still lying face-down on the beach, and thought that he found such a state of existence rather relatable.

* * *

“Guys, I hate to say it, but… I’m starting to think we’re not gonna find Mokuba.”

After Jounouchi’s victory against Dinosaur Ryuuzaki, the party had regrouped, continuing on the search for the missing Mokuba. For several hours, Jounouchi, Yuugi, Atem, and the others had wandered the rain-soaked ruins of the forest, calling for Mokuba until their throats ran dry and their bellies grumbled with hunger. The sun was beginning to set on both the island, and their energy levels, and- Even if Honda was the only one bold enough to say it out loud- Everyone was starting to seriously doubt their chances of success.

“I think you’re right,” Bakura sighed. “Maybe we should focus less on finding Mokuba and more on finding food…”

“Food sounds nice,” Jounouchi muttered.

Anzu gave a snort of disbelief. “Honestly, food sounds even harder to find. This whole forest’s nothing but a pile of soggy ash,” she pointed out, gesturing to their surroundings.

It was true- Yuugi and Atem’s rain spell had been more than sufficient in putting out the fire, but not before it had managed to completely devastate the island, leaving a thick blanket of ash and charred husks of trees. Without the cover of trees, Pegasus Castle felt so much more present, looming at the base of the mountains in the center of the island; Duel boxes dotted the skyline as well, charred on the outside yet pristine on the inside, their brightly painted bases the only spots of color in the blackened field.

And, of course, the fire had almost certainly wiped out anything that was potentially edible within the forest.

“Fire is supposed to _make_ food, not destroy it,” Jounouchi whined, as his stomach echoed his sentiment with a loud growl; Suddenly, he glanced up, sniffing at the air. “Wait, is that-”

“Oh god, what’d Dog Boy find now?” Anzu muttered.

“Maybe it’s a _corpse,”_ Bakura suggested in a quiet gasp.

Jounouchi ignored his friends’ comments, instead following his nose towards a nearby tree.

“Aha! I knew it!” he called out, and grinned as he held up his ashy prize. “Grilled mushrooms for everybody!”

“Wait, don’t eat those! What if they’re toxic?!” Yuugi blurted out, rushing over to try to stop Jounouchi.

“Yeah, man, don’t do that!” Honda added, joining in Yuugi’s effort.

Jounouchi glared at the others, pulling away as he attempted to keep hold of his mushrooms. “Shut up! I’m gonna eat ‘em!”

“No!”

“Well, don’t you guys look like a bunch of happy campers?” a familiar voice interrupted. And with that voice came the smell of-

 _“Chocolate?!”_ Jounouchi shrieked, abruptly abandoning his mushrooms and leaping towards the tantalizingly sweet-smelling treat.

Mai held the chocolate bar high out of Jounouchi’s reach. “Ah-ah-ah! If you want a piece of this, you have to pay me a star chip,” she taunted, with a grin and a wink.

Jounouchi paused for a moment, opening his mouth as if to respond- And then closed it again, before turning away in a huff. “Yeah, get real! I’d never give my star chips to you. My star chips are my _life!”_ he declared.

“Oh, relax, I was only joking,” Mai laughed. “Besides, I know you’re not that kind of duelist. But seriously, though, you kids look miserable,” she commented, cringing as she looked over the group. “Don’t tell me you’ve been dueling this whole time?”

“We’ve mostly been walking in circles,” Yuugi replied with a sigh.

Mai stared at the group with a look of pity and disdain, taking in their clearly exhausted, soot-covered, hastily bandaged, frowning faces.

“...Geez, you really are a buncha kids, huh?” she muttered, sighing and shaking her head in disbelief.

“And just what the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?!” Jounouchi snapped, drawing back in offense.

“Look. If you think being good at the game is all you need to make it in the dueling world, then you’re a hundred years too early to be participating in a tournament like this,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, looking first to Jounouchi, then to Yuugi. “You need to take care of your bodies and your minds, too. How do you expect to win if you’re dueling on the verge of exhaustion? Or, if you pass out from dehydration, what’s to stop people from taking your star chips, huh?” She gestured to the group. “Let me guess- You guys didn’t even bring snacks, did you? Or sleeping bags?”

The others exchanged awkward, embarrassed glances.

“...I brought a first aid kit?” Honda tried.

The look of disappointment on Mai’s face was enough to make even Bakura blush.

“Listen… It’s almost sundown anyway,” she said in a slightly more gentle voice, and took another bite of her chocolate bar. “How about we call a ceasefire for tonight? If you guys help me set up camp, I’ll share my food with you- Deal?”

“Deal,” Anzu, Yuugi, and Bakura blurted out, without even bothering to discuss it with the others. 

Fortunately, nobody seemed to have any complaints; If anything, the whole group seemed to feel a sense of relief. With Mai giving out efficient orders, it didn’t take long to get a proper camp set up, with a full-course dinner to boot. Yuugi gathered firewood, Honda and Jounouchi brought water from the beach, Anzu helped Mai pitch a tent, Bakura did a surprisingly good job cooking dinner, and Atem…

Atem…

“Hey, um, Prince Atem... Are you ok? You’ve been staring at your bracelet for like, the past five minutes,” Bakura commented with a worried look.

“Oh… Yeah, I just…” Atem sighed distantly, watching his own reflection in his gold bracelet flicker and wave with the light of the fire; He poked at the bandaids on the side of his face. “...I look stupid,” he muttered.

“Dude, are you still on about that? You’ve been saying that for _hours,”_ Honda pointed out.

Atem threw his head back dramatically. “What’s the point of living if I’m not fashionable?!” he shouted.

“Well I’m sorry my makeshift, untrained emergency first-aid for a species I have absolutely no experience with or anatomical knowledge of isn’t _fashionable enough_ for you, _Your Highness,”_ Honda snapped with heavy sarcasm. “But if you’d rather just go die of an asthma attack, be my guest!”

“Uuuuuugh!”

Mai laughed, watching Honda and Atem in amusement. “Looks like His Highness is a real diva, huh?” she teased.

“I don’t have to take that kind of talk from a woman wearing a corset as a shirt,” Atem retorted with a glare.

Mai chuckled. “Touché.”

“Yuugi’s the same way,” Anzu added with a slight laugh. “You don’t know hell until you’ve gone shopping with him. He’s convinced there are multiple shades of black, and god forbid any of them clash.”

“Well there are,” Yuugi and Atem replied simultaneously, and then blinked at each other in surprise.

Anzu’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Geez, I swear you two must be twins separated at birth or something,” she commented, glancing between Yuugi and Atem and shaking her head in awe at the whole thing.

“It’s like the Prince and the Pauper,” Bakura added.

“Wait, you mean like the Barbie movie?” Jounouchi asked, frowning in confusion.

Mai gave a snort of amusement. “Well. I dunno about you kids, but I’m pretty wiped,” she announced, and stood up, stretching out with a yawn. “I’m gonna head to bed. Anzu, you can sleep in my tent if you want,” she added as she walked away, giving a lazy wave behind her.

Anzu nodded, and stood up to follow her. “I’ll do that, then. Thank you, Miss Kujaku.” She paused and turned back to the boys. “I’d tell you guys don’t burn the forest down, but…”

“Aw, shut up,” Jounouchi replied, sticking his tongue out yet smiling nonetheless. “Goodnight, dumbass.”

“Goodnight, Anzu!” Yuugi called out with a wave.

The others bade her goodnight as well, and soon settled in to sleep themselves. Without sleeping bags, they could only sleep directly on the ash-covered ground- Yet no one seemed to particularly care, too exhausted to be picky. 

With the stars above his head, and the ever-unsettling smell of smoke in the air, Yuugi soon fell asleep, wondering what the next day would bring.

* * *

Atem couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying. And it wasn’t that he wasn’t tired, either- God knew he was plenty exhausted, and indeed, he frequently found himself nodding off. Rather, he just couldn’t seem to _stay_ asleep. The ground was hard and lumpy, prompting him to change position every five minutes, to no avail; The charred remains of sticks and leaves scratched up his bare, already-wounded back, and the smell of smoke was utterly inescapable. It wasn’t a _bad_ smell, per se, but he wasn’t sure he had ever smelled anything so strong, and frankly it was giving him a headache.

On top of everything, his legs were starting to cramp and ache. Which was… Slightly concerning to him, if he was being honest with himself; Normally, if he was in good health he could go a good two or three days before experiencing any symptoms of land sickness- Frankly, though, he was _not_ in good health, and he was well aware of it. Between the myriad of minor burns across his body, the awful respiratory problems caused by the fire, and the sheer amount of energy it had taken to summon a storm large enough to put out an island-wide wildfire, it honestly wasn’t surprising that he didn’t seem to have any stamina left to spare.

Atem gave a wheezing sigh, glared daggers at the ash he seemed to somehow inhale no matter which direction he was facing, and rolled onto his back with an irritated grunt. He needed to _sleep,_ goddamn it, and there was no way that was going to happen while he was still in the middle of a soot-filled rocky hellhole. 

He rolled his eyes and groaned once again before standing up, wobbling slightly with sleep. He took a moment to massage his sore legs… And his sore back, and his sore neck, and his sore feet… And finally, he set out for the beach.

* * *

The cool water was a blessing to Atem after the day’s hellish events. He took a deep breath, and sighed contentedly; The salty tang of the ocean was _such_ a better taste than bitter ash. 

Stretching out casually, he turned to one side, setting out in search of a nice spot to sleep. He swam a few feet, and-

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t see- Wait, Jounouchi?!” he exclaimed in surprise as he realized just who he’d crashed into; The tail, fins, gills, and pointed teeth were new, but his face was unmistakable.

“Atem?” Jounouchi gasped, eyes going wide. “Wh… What are you doing here?”

“Honestly, I was gonna go to sleep. Sleeping by the camp was terrible,” Atem admitted, rolling his eyes at the thought. “What about you? I had no idea you were part merman!”

“J-Just going for a swim, um… Actually, about that.” Jounouchi hesitated for a moment, glancing away and chewing his lip. “Listen… Don’t tell anyone about this, ok? Nobody else knows what I am, and I’d rather things stay that way. This stays between you and me, alright?”

Atem’s face fell, brow creasing in disappointment and worry. “Oh… Well… If it’s a secret, how come you’re out here when you know there’s other merpeople around?” he wondered- Not accusatory, but confused. “I mean, there’s me, that Kajiki guy, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s other people too…”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m out here in the middle of the night. Thought everyone would be asleep by now,” he replied, and Atem couldn’t help but notice (with a pang of guilt) a slight hint of bitterness in his voice. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be here at all if I had a choice, but I don’t. It’s been over a week since the last time I went swimming. If I waited any longer, I’d start getting sick- You know how it is- And like Mai said, if my health goes downhill, so will my dueling. I need to stay in good shape so I can win this for my sister.”

“A _week?!”_ Atem gasped in horror. “Why would you wait that long?!”

“It’s not like I wanted to!” Jounouchi snapped. “It’s because I-”

...He paused once again, taking a deep breath to calm himself; Again, he looked away, his blue-green tail flicking in agitation as he seemed to debate something with himself.

“...Look. It’s my dad, ok?” he sighed, with clear bitterness in his voice. “When my parents got divorced, my mom took my sister to live in Tanis, and I got stuck with my stupid alcoholic shitbag of a father. Ever since my mom dumped him, he hates merfolk- And he especially hates that _I’m_ one of them,” he spat. “He makes me pretend like I’m just a normal human, even though I’m not, and I never will be. He gets mad if I so much as take too long in the shower, so… I do what I can. I have to tell everybody I have asthma so they don’t get suspicious when I start getting sick, ‘cause god knows what he’d do if word got out,” he muttered, biting his lip.

Atem’s eyes widened. _“What?!_ That’s… That’s…” he trailed off, not finding the words to express the amount of sheer horror and revulsion he felt. “I… ...You- You should come live in Tanis,” he found himself blurting out. “Screw your dad- You deserve so much better than that. Just… Move away. Come live with me.”

Jounouchi shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Well for one thing, I don’t have any money,” Jounouchi muttered. “And besides… I mean… I’ve never even been to Kemet. I don’t know anything about the culture. I don’t even speak the language.”

“Eh, most people speak Japanese these days, we really only use Kemetic for formal stuff,” Atem admitted with a shrug.

“See? I didn’t even know that much,” Jounouchi sighed. “I’d never fit in down there. There’s so much I don’t know, anyone would be able to tell I’m an outsider-”

“No one would care about that.”

 _“I’d_ care,” Jounouchi snapped. “I just- I don’t belong there, and I never will.”

Atem paused for a moment, biting his lip.

“...Do you want to?” he asked.

Jounouchi seemed taken aback by this question, as if unsure what to make of it. “I don’t… know? Maybe? Y-Yeah, I… Yeah,” he stammered after a few seconds.

“Then come live with me.” Atem gently took Jounouchi’s hand, meeting his gaze with sincerity. “I’ll teach you everything. I’m sure you’ll fit right in in no time, and-”

“It’s not that simple!” Jounouchi insisted, tearing his hand away from Atem with such force he found himself floating backwards. “Look, I’m- I’m not like you, ok?! No one would want me down there! Just… Just leave me alone!”

Atem stared at Jounouchi in open-mouthed shock, stunned into silence; After a moment, Jounouchi let out a frustrated growl, and turned away towards Atem. 

“Look, just shut up and forget you ever saw me, alright?! I’m going back to camp!” he snapped, and swam towards the shore without looking back.

The last Atem saw of Jounouchi was the bare soles of his feet, stirring up clouds of sand as they stomped angrily away. 

Atem waited for a few minutes, as if expecting Jounouchi to come back- Yet the beach remained hauntingly silent. At some point, Atem’s body began searching for a comfortable place to sleep, but his mind was elsewhere; Jounouchi’s words echoed over and over in his head as he mechanically folded his overskirt into a makeshift pillow, the expression on Jounouchi’s face burned clearly into his mind. He saw anger, yet also… Hurt? Fear?

What had he done wrong?

The answer, he knew, was not something he could figure out on his own. Only Jounouchi could answer that question- And Jounouchi, it seemed, didn’t want to talk to him. He could only hope he’d be willing to talk in the morning; He couldn’t help but worry, however, that their short-lived friendship was over before it had truly begun.

And he didn’t even know what he’d done wrong.

Atem took a deep breath, laid down on the sand, swallowed the lump in his throat, and fell into an uneasy sleep.


End file.
